Ranting.
So I started my fall semester of Occupational therapy a week and a half ago, and I thought I’d write a little bit about what’s going on in my head about everything. Sometimes I don’t feel like I write enough on this little blog of mine to really give a fair look at what’s going in my life aside from what we do on the weekends.
My classes this semester are Pediatrics I lab/lecture, Musculoskeletal I lab/lecture, Neuroscience, a research class, and an interprofessional class. I love all my teachers this semester, and I can already tell that fall is going to feel totally different than summer because I no longer have one class that is king (anatomy). Classes are a little more balanced this semester, and I’m not sure how to get into a routine yet where I’ll have to study for more than one class, but I’ll get there. I’m also spreading myself out a little thinner this semester, but I’ll get to that in a second.
Pediatrics will be fun. This semester we are focusing on typical and atypical motor development, and although we will do some pathology (disorder, testing, treatment) this semester, the nitty gritty of that will be more in the spring. So right now we have lectures where we watch videos, and look at lots of pictures of cute babies and talk about the landmarks of their development. Then our teacher will throw in some case studies in there to show us the atypical development, or what happens when typical milestones are missed. Our teacher is really enthusiastic and has great energy which makes class really fun. A part of our assignments this semester will be to get community credit hours where we will do things like participate in the Charleston Miracle League, which, correct me if I’m wrong, is the only team sport (baseball) in the area for kids with disabilities. Can you believe that? You learn so much from being on a team: competing, the friendships you make, learning how to cope with losing, etc. I remember dance for me also being a part of my identity. I made so many good friends from dance, gained confidence and had such a sense of achievement from participating in dance. I’m so glad Charleston put together this league so kids with disabilities don’t have to miss out on these milestones. Even if a child with a disorder has no physical way of participating in sports, ways to give kids the same kind of confidence, social interaction, sense of achievement that comes from team sports are still important and can be done (finding ways to do this will likely be a part of my job as an OT)! I’m excited to go and help kids in wheelchairs get around the bases, and/or just cheer in the stands because that’s a big part of what makes participating in sports so fun. Oh, and we also get to go out to Pattison’s Academy every once and a while with the 2nd year dental students (Jon’s a 3rd year, so not him. sad) and talk to the kids with disabilites/develpment disorders about dental hygiene.
My other favorite class right now is Neuroscience. I always loved the brain, and this is going to be tough class (two 3 hour lectures a week!), but our teacher is so organized and totally caters to my learning style. She only teaches what is in the notes, has learning objectives, and even draws pictures of what she is teaching while we draw it along with her. She also has a whole book of diagrams she made for us that we label and color code along with her during class. And at the beginning of each lecture we have a case study that we can solve by the end of it i.e. this person has Multiple Sclerosis not Guillain Barre because they are relapsing and recovering quickly from paralysis! Stuff like that. I’m a nerd. It’s okay.
My musculoskeletal classes are teaching us about muscle testing, measuring range of motion, and teaching us to look at all the muscles needed to do a certain task like reaching for a cup in a kitchen cupboard. Our interprofessional and research classes are small and pretty self explanatory with interprofessional (bottom line) teaching us how to work as a team, and research (bottom line) is teaching us how to read research studies. I think.
This next week (Wednesday) I’m having to decide all the extracurricular I’ll be starting this semester, and I’m stressing about what I want to do. I’m planning on doing a work-study so that I can pay for dance classes again, so that will take up 4-8 hours of my week. I’m also planning on trying out for an adult hip-hop dance company this next Wednesday (wish me luck!) which would mean I’d get to perform again (yay!), and I’d also be required to not only attend rehearsals but also 3 other dance class during the week! Which is certainly a time commitment, but I think I’d regret it for forever if I didn’t at least try out for it. I’m only getting older, and this could be my last chance to be a part of a dance company, which means a lot to me. Unless I have the opportunity to tryout next year, but I’m not sure if I’ll have time for it next year. I also go back and forth between feeling totally confident that I’ll make it, and feeling like I’m too rusty and/or old or that I’ll probably just botch tryouts because I tend to do that when I’m nervous. We’ll see. Although at my first class back two weeks ago, I did get an applause and a hat tip/nod from one of the best guy hip hop dancers in the class after doing a solo across the floor exhibiting my “swag.” It makes me feel good to know that I can (still) shake it even if I won’t make the company.
The same day as tryouts, are the nominations for OT student government, which I’d like to do if don’t make the dance company. But with the overlap of tryouts and elections being at the same time, I can’t just wait and see if I make the company and then try out for student government. Right now I’m debating between just trying out for the company and hoping I make it, or signing myself up to try out for both and seeing what happens.
I just want to do it all, and I’m having a hard time with the fact that I can’t. Advice is appreciated.
End rant.
I promise to have fun pictures next time instead detailed descriptions of my classes. I know I’m kind of nerdy, and I’m sorry if my classes are only interesting to me. I’m biased on the subject.
Categories: Fitness, Kat, School
Tags: Dance, occupational therapy classes, ranting
Comments: 1 Comment.
Kat, I’m so happy to hear that you’ll be dancing! I, too, am going to join an adult ballet class (and an Arabic class) this fall at the local community college. I’m so excited to be involved in some interesting to me extracurricular activities. You’ll be tired, but a happy tired. Good luck with school!